Electrical connector

ABSTRACT

A connector is disclosed which permits electrical connection from a threaded stud such as used on transformer applications for power distribution to a plurality of secondary cables or the like. A conductive pad or adapter threaded at one end to receive the stud is mounted removably to the connector to position the connector normal to the stud. By providing a removable adapter, the adapter to connector attachment can be released without the necessity of disconnecting any secondary or service conductors from the connector.

I United States Patent [191 [111 3,794,963 Cooper, Jr. 1 Feb. 26, 1974 ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR 3,125,398 3/1964 Wolf 339/272 uc 3,133,779 5/1964 St 1') k 339 242 [75] lnventor: James Joseph Cooper, J LOUIS 2,943,294 6/1960 N i de 339/242 3,546,364 12/1970 ONeeln. 339/242 X 3 171 708 3/1965 Salamone... 339/272 R X [73] Asslgnee. International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation New York 3,087,006 4/1963 McClain 174/43 x N.Y. Primary Examiner.lames R. Boler Filed? p 24, 1972 Assistant ExaminerPeter Nerbun' [21] Appl. 246 836 Attorney, Agent, or Firm-James B'. Raden; Marvin M.

Chaban Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 71,772, Sept. 14, [57] ABSTRACT 1970, abandoned.

A connector is disclosed which permits electrical con- [52 US. Cl. 339/242 nection from a threaded stud such as used on trans- 51 int. Cl non 33/00 I former applications for Power distribution to a P 5 Fi ld f s h 339/242 265 R 265 F 266 R ity of secondary cables or the like. A conductive pad 339/2 G, 2 F 2 6 L 272 R, 272 A, 272 or adapter threaded at one end to receive the stud is B, 272 UC, 198 N, 193 R; 174/71 72 43 5 mounted removably to the connector to position the 24 205; 2 5 20 connector normal to the stud. By providing a removable adapter, the adapter to connector attachment can 5 References Cited be released without the necessity of disconnecting any UNITED STATES PATENTS Sturdivan 339/198 N X secondary or service conductors from the connector.

6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTED 3,794,963

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ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Ser. No. 71,772, and now abandoned filed Sept. 14, 1970.

In general usage, electrical connections from power system components such as heavy transformers terminate in a threaded stud extending normally from the body of the transformer. In the usual condition, a spade connector with its alignment of spaced pressure pad connectors is threaded or tapped internally to receive the stud. The connector is then mounted on the stud and the cables secured within the respective cable openings by means of the cable pressure pads.

The transformer when in service will typically have several service cables (as many as eight) and possibly one or two secondary cables attached to the secondary connector. If a change-out of the transformer is necessary due to changes in conditions or due to damage, the service and secondary cables must be removed from the connector in order to unscrew it from the threaded stud of the bushing. This, of course, is a costly procedure, and one which is avoided by use of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a new and improved structure for electrically connecting a connector to a threaded conductive stud.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved stud-mounting connector which is readily disassembled, such that no connector cables need be disconnected from the connector when a new or repaired transformer is to be installed.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a separable mounting pad and spade connector for connection to a transformer conductive stud.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a stud-mounting connector which may be readily detached from the conductive stud without the necessity of detaching the connector from its cable or cables.

It is a still further object to provide an internally threaded tubular adapter for accepting the stud', the adapter mounted releasably within a tubular cavity to dispose said stud in line with the length of said connector.

The invention shown and claimed herein uses an internally tapped pad for receiving the conductivestud leading from a heavy power transformer connection. The pad is separable from the spade connector so that the pad can be detached from the connector. The separable or detachable connection is effected by a bolt and nut or bolt and tapped hold connection.

In one form, the threaded receiver for accepting the connection between the pad and connector may be welded to the connector housing, may be fabricated integrally therewith or may be connected thereto by a further nut and bolt or nut and tapped receiver connection.

With either of these approaches, the terminal connector may have its plurality of cables attached thereto, and the cable to connector attachment need not be disturbed when the transformer is necessarily detached from the connector cables.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 6 is a side view in elevation of the second form of connector employing an alternate positioning or locking means;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a third form of connector and adapter;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of the adapter of FIG. 7 and FIG. 9 is an end view thereof; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of another form of connector, using the adapter of FIGS. 8 and 9 herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:

Turning to the drawings in detail, in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, I show a first embodiment of my invention. There, I provide a transformer housing (not shown) from which protrudes a stud mounting insulator or bushing 12 tapered toward the conductive stud 14 which may be embedded at its base within the insulator and which extends from the transformer housing 10 (not shown). Such stud connections are quite well known in the art and are in general usage.

For mounting a terminal connection on the stud, I provide a conducting connector 20 of copper, or aluminum, or other suitable conductive material. Connector 20 includes a main body 22 and a mounting pad 24 angled therefrom. The main body 22 is elongate and has a plurality of cable receiving openings spaced along its length. These cable receiving openings each have a flat bottom 25 with side walls 26 tapering into an arch 27 to comprise spaced cable ports 28. The ports 28 extend through the main body of the connector to receive therein individual cables (not shown) for attachment to the connector. Within each port there is mounted an elevatable pressure pad 30. (Note that within the drawings, showing of pressure pads have been omitted from many of the ports to simplify the drawings somewhat.) Each pressure pad has a concavely contoured upper surface 32 for engaging a cable therein, and each such pad may be raised or lowered to tighten or release the pressure pad under the control of a set screw 34 which may be an Allen head screw, as shown. Such connector internal construction is well known in the art, and may include many combinations of ports of different size to receive secondary conductors of any suitable diameter and service conductors of a smaller diameter.

Within each port 28 a pressure pad 30 clamps the cable against the arched surface 27 of its port under the engaging pressure generated by the set screw 34. The set screws ride within suitably tapped holes 38 extending upwardly from the under surface 40 of the main connector body and into the ports 28. This under surface 40 may be stepped as shown to accommodate ports of different sizes, the ports'at right being larger to accept larger secondary conductor cables. To receive the set screw, the walls 26 of each port may be suitably threaded to a predetermined height to allow the pressure pads to be raised to any suitable height within the port.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the upper surface 50 of the connector main body is arched over each port with each such arch terminating in a central convex ridge 52. Between the ridges are valleys 54 aligned above and the spacing 56 between adjacent ports. The combination of alternate ridges and valleys from the regular undulating upper surface 50 of the connector, undulating to produce superior heat dissipating qualities in the connector.

Welded, suitably brazed, integrally fabricated therewith, or otherwise suitably affixed to the connector upper surface at one end of the connector main body 22 is one end of the mounting pad 24. Alternatively, one portion of the pad may be fabricated as an integral part of the connector, if desired. The pad 24 is mounted substantially aligned with the adjacent connector end 60 of the main body, the mounting pad 24 is mounted transversely to the length of the body and rests on a flat lower support plate 62 of the connector body and upper support 64 combining to form essentially a split bearing block. The upper support 64 has side wing sections 66 coextensive with the extent of the flat support plate 62 and a central raised section 68 with a suitably tapped hole 70 for receiving the transformer stud 14. The upper support 64 is secured to the lower support plate by bolts 72 whose heads 74 are shown above suitable clearance holes 76 in the upper wing sections 66, each bolt body 78 extending through the clearance holes 76 with the threaded portion 80 of the bolt body mated within suitably threaded holes 82 in the lower support plate 62.

With the mounting pad upper support 64 detached from the lower support plate 62, or at a minimum condition with no cables connected to the connector, the upper support 64 may be threaded onto a transformer bushing stud 14. A jam nut 65 (not shown) may be mounted on the stud on either side of pad 24 prior to the mounting of the upper support plate on the stud. The jam nut is tightened against upper section to align the upper section at the desired angle on the stud.

In assembly, thereafter, the mounting pad sections comprising the upper support 64 and lower support plate 62 are connected to one another by means of the bolts 72 threaded through the upper support 64 and secured to the lower support plate 62. i

If the transformer is to be replaced or repaired, detachment of the lower support plate from the upper support (by removal of bolts 72) releases the stud receiving upper support 64 from the connector main body removing the necessity for disconnecting the secondary connectors and service conductors from the connector.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 4-6, the main body 100 of the connector 101 may be virtually identical to that of the prior embodiment with one major change, and various minor ones. In this embodiment, a different type of mounting pad is used. To accept the modified mounting pad, two laterally spaced apart boltreceiving holes 102 are aligned on the upper surface of the connector body 100. The holes are threaded to receive suitable mounting bolts 104. The mounting pad 105 for this usage may have a terminal lug with open compression hooks (not shown) or alternatively may be a split stud adapter or other suitable conducting member with openings for receiving the mounting bolts I04. The bolts fasten into the threaded holes 102 and firmly secure the pad to the connector 101. One end 112 of the pad is substantially aligned with the like end 114 of the connector 101. The pad end which is aligned with the connector end, as mounted, has therein a laterally extending horizontal stud receiving hold which may have been drilled and tapped and is threaded to receive the transformer bushing stud 14. The connector and pad are complementarily configured by suitable offsets to mate snugly against one another.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, the mounting pad to the stud is secured by set screws bearing against the stud 14 to hold the alignment of connector 101 to stud 14 from movement in a rotary sense. In FIGS. 4 and 5, I have shown an example of a cable secured to the connector within the left-most port 141 with its conductor 142 secured within the port by means of the pressure pad 30.

In FIG. 6, I show a jam nut 132 mounted on stud l4 and positioned between the pad 105 and the stud bushing, the nut 132 being capable of rotation on the stud 14 to tighten against the pad 105 aligning and maintaining the relative rotary positioning the pad and the connector.

In FIG. 7, I show a connector 202 which, like the connectors shown previously, has a plurality of transverse cable receiving openings 204 similar to the openings shown in the prior emobdiments.

At one end 206 of the connector 202, there is secured to the connector either integrally or by suitable permanent means such as welding, a conductive metallic tube member 210. The member 210 extends from the end of the connector with its tube bore 212 having its axis 214 substantially parallel (or coplanar, if desired) to the alignment of cable openings 204 and the length of the tube.

In the side wall of the tube are two threaded set screw openings 220 parallel to one another and normal to the tube axis. The set screw openings may be throughopenings or may be blind sockets terminating in a thin web of material as disclosed in my co-pending application filed Aug. 20, 1970 now US. Pat. No. 3,710,307, issued Jan. 9, 1973. In either event, set screws 222 mounted in the threaded openings will bear against an object resting within the tube bore 212. A tubular insert or adapter, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, of suitable conductive metal sized to fit easily into the tube bore is provided. The insert, when placed in the tube bore preferably will bottom against the tube end 232. The outside diameter of the insert 230 should slide into the tube having a suitable clearance fit which would place the insert outer wall within the holding effect of the set screws 222. Suitable flats 234, in the outer wall of insert 230 may be provided with sockets 235 to receive the tips of the set screws to hold the insert in place more positively. The insert has an inner bore 236, which is threaded to receive the transformer stud l4 and clamp the insert to the stud. The set screws act to clamp the insert to the connector end tube and thus mount the connector relative to the stud.

Without the adapter of any embodiment shown, all cables connected to the connector would have to be disconnected to rotate the connector and free its attachment to the stud. By providing an intermediate adapter, the stud can be detached from the connector by removal of two screws allowing ready removal and replacement of the stud without disturbing the connection of cables to the connector.

in any of the embodiments, the adapter, whether mounted to permit cables aligned horizontally to enter the connector as shown, or whether aligned at any desired angle of the connector openings and cable entry, can be detached from the connector to allow the transformer stud to be disconnected from the connector without the necessity of disconnecting the secondary and service conductors from the connector.

In FIG. 10, I show a connector 302 which differs somewhat from the connectors shown previously, in that connector 302 has a plurality of transverse cable receiving tangs 304 extending from the body 305 of the connector. Such tangs as are well known in the art, receive a compression connector (not shown), the connector lug being fastened to the connector by screws 307 engaging suitable threaded openings in the tang.

At one end 306 of the connector 302, there is secured to the connector either integrally or by suitable permanent means such as welding, a conductive metallic tube member 310. The member 310 extends from the end of the connector with its tube bore 312 having its axis 314 substantially parallel (or coplanar, if desired) to the main axis or centerline 316 of the connector.

In the side wall of the tube are two threaded set screw openings 320 parallel to one another and normal to the tube axis. The set screw openings may be throughopenings or may be blind sockets terminating in a thin web of material as disclosed in my co-pending application Ser. No. 65,372, filed 8/20/70. In either event, set screws 322 mounted in the threaded openings will bear against an object resting within the tube bore 312. A tubular insert or adapter 330 of suitable conductive metal sized to fit easily into the tube bore is provided. The insert, identical to that shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when placed in the tube bore preferably will bottom against the tube end 332. The outside diameter of the insert 330 should slide into the tube having a suitable clearance fit which would place the insert outer wall within the holding effect of the set screws 322. Suitable flats 334, as described with respect to the prior embodiment, in the outer wall of insert 330 may be provided to receive the tips of the set screws to hold the insert in place more positively. The insert has an inner bore 336, which is threaded to receive the transformer stud 14 and clamp the insert to the stud. The set screws act to clamp the insert to the connector end tube andthus mount the connector relative to the stud.

In any of the embodiments shown herein, loosening the set screws, the insert may be detached from the connector to allow the stud and its transformer to be replaced without the necessity of removing all cables from the connector.

I claim:

1. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having a plurality of cable connecting members spaced along the length thereof for connection thereto of individual cables, a stud receiving adapter for receiving a bushing stud for mounting at one longitudinal end of said connector to align the axis of said stud substantially perpendicular to cables connected to said connecting members, means connected to said connector for engaging said adapter and mounting said adapter firmly to said connector; said engaging means, said adapter and said stud spaced from said connecting members to allow connection and disconnection of cables to said members without interference between cables connected to any of said members and said adapter and stud; means on said connector for cooperatively receiving said adapter to affix said adapter at said one longitudinal end of said connector to allow the adapter to be detached from said connector without disturbing any cables which may be connected to said connector via said connecting members, said adapter comprising a tubular internally threaded insert and the receiving means on said connector including a cylindrical socket at said longitudinal end thereof for receiving said adapter, and said engaging means comprising set screws threaded into said connector engaging and holding said adapter in said socket.

2. A multiple terminal secondary connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable connecting members comprise spaced compression connector tangs extending from said connector.

3. A multiple terminal secondary connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable connecting members comprise spaced cable receiving openings in the said conductor.

4. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having a plurality of cable connecting members spaced along the length thereof for connection thereto of individual cables, an internally threaded stud, receiving adapter for receiving a bushing stud therein, socket means integral to said connector and open at one longitudinal end thereof, said socket having an axis substantially parallel to the length of said connector; said adapter, said socket and said stud spaced from said connecting members to allow connection and disconnection of cables to said members without interference between cables connected to any of said members and said adapter and stud; and threaded means for cooperatively affixing said adapter to within said socket to prevent rotation of said adapter relative to said connector, said affixing means being removable to detach said adapter and stud from said connector without disturbing cables connected to said connector.

5. A connector as claimed in claim 4 wherein said affixing means comprises at least one set screw extending into said connector for mating with a suitable flat on the exterior of said adapter.

6. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having at least one connecting member along the length thereof for connection thereto of a cable, a tubular stud receiving adapter with a suitably threaded bore open at one end for receiving a bushing stud, an adapter-receiving socket integral to said connector at one longitudinal end of said connector with the axis of said socket substantially perpendicular to any cable connected to said connecting member, means holding said adapter firmly within said connector socket; said socket, said adapter and said stud spaced from said connecting member to allow connection and disconnection of a cable to said member without interference between a cable connected to said member and said adapter and stud; said holding means comprising at least one set screw, and said connector suitably threaded for receiving said -set screw to hold said adapter tightly within said socket. 

1. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having a plurality of cable connecting members spaced along the length thereof for connection thereto of individual cables, a stud receiving adapter for receiving a bushing stud for mounting at one longitudinal end of said connector to align the axis of said stud substantially perpendicular to cables connected to said connecting members, means connected to said connector for engaging said adapter and mounting said adapter firmly to said connector; said engaging means, said adapter and said stud spaced from said connecting members to allow connection and disconnection of cables to said members without interference between cables connected to any of said members and said adapter and stud; means on said connector for cooperatively receiving said adapter to affix said adapter at said one longitudinal end of said connector to allow the adapter to be detached from said connector without disturbing any cables which may be connected to said connector via said connecting members, said adapter comprising a tubular internally threaded insert and the receiving means on said connector including a cylindrical socket at said longitudinal end thereof for receiving said adapter, and said engaging means comprising set screws threaded into said connector engaging and holding said adapter in said socket.
 2. A multiple terminal secondary connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable connecting members comprise spaced compression connector tangs extending from said connector.
 3. A multiple terminal secondary connector as claimed in claim 1, wherein said cable connecting members comprise spaced cable receiving openings in the said conductor.
 4. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having a plurality of cable connecting members spaced along the length thereof for connection thereto of individual cables, an internally threaded stud, receiving adapter for receiving a bushing stud therein, socket means integral to said connector and open at one longitudinal end thereof, said socket having an axis substantially parallel to the length of said connector; said adapter, said socket and said stud spaced from said connecting members to allow connection and disconnection of cables to said members without interference between cables connected to any of said members and said adapter and stud; and threaded means for cooperatively affixing said adapter to within said socket to prevent rotation of said adapter relative to said connector, said affixing meanS being removable to detach said adapter and stud from said connector without disturbing cables connected to said connector.
 5. A connector as claimed in claim 4 wherein said affixing means comprises at least one set screw extending into said connector for mating with a suitable flat on the exterior of said adapter.
 6. A multiple terminal secondary connector for connection to a transformer bushing stud; said connector having at least one connecting member along the length thereof for connection thereto of a cable, a tubular stud receiving adapter with a suitably threaded bore open at one end for receiving a bushing stud, an adapter-receiving socket integral to said connector at one longitudinal end of said connector with the axis of said socket substantially perpendicular to any cable connected to said connecting member, means holding said adapter firmly within said connector socket; said socket, said adapter and said stud spaced from said connecting member to allow connection and disconnection of a cable to said member without interference between a cable connected to said member and said adapter and stud; said holding means comprising at least one set screw, and said connector suitably threaded for receiving said set screw to hold said adapter tightly within said socket. 